India has finalized rules for a controversial law that expedites citizenship for non-Muslim minorities from neighboring countries but excludes Muslims. The announcement was made just weeks before a national election of the county. Critics are accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of playing a dangerous game of Hindu nationalism for votes.
India’s government has announced its intention to enforce a controversial law, which critics argue discriminates against Muslims. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) permits non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan to apply for Indian citizenship, citing persecution in their home countries.
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was passed in 2019. The law offers a path to citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians who arrived in India before December 2014 facing religious persecution in Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Bangladesh. However, Muslims fleeing similar circumstances are not included.
This exclusion has sparked outrage, with many calling the CAA discriminatory and a violation of India’s secular constitution. Opponents fear the law, coupled with a proposed national registry of citizens, could be used to disenfranchise millions of Muslims – India’s largest religious minority.
The government, however, maintains the CAA is about offering refuge to persecuted minorities and doesn’t take citizenship away from anyone. They contend that earlier protests had political motivations. The CAA is a key promise of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It modifies a decades-old citizenship law, barring illegal migrants from becoming citizens.
Criticism And Outrage
Critics argue that the law undermines India’s secular principles and discriminates against Muslims. Critics argue that the combination of the proposed national register of citizens with this system could be used to target the country’s Muslim population.
Asaduddin Owaisi, the leader of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party, questioned the timing of the move.
“CAA is meant to only target Muslims, it serves no other purpose,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Protests against the law have begun in some states. Opposition parties accuse the government of exploiting the issue for political gain ahead of upcoming elections. The implementation of the law just before elections has sparked criticism and accusations of political manipulation from opposition leaders and activists.
The eastern states of West Bengal and Assam are home to large Muslim populations and witnessed protests against CAA. Some Muslims feared the law could be used to declare them illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh and take away their Indian citizenship.
With the election looming, India walks a tightrope. Will the CAA offer a lifeline to the vulnerable, or will it further divide the nation along religious lines? Only time will tell.
